With the advent of the electronics industry, a variety of electronic plug connectors have been developed to provide an interface or interconnection between signal carrying wires, usually encased in a sheath or jacket and an electronic device; e.g., a personal computer. As the interconnection is usually easily accessible such as on the back face of the computer, the connector must be protected to prevent the user from experiencing electrical shock. Further, to maintain signal integrity, the connectors must be provided with RFI and EMI shielding. Additionally, the wires terminated to the connector are subject to inadvertent tensional forces and accordingly, a strain relief should be provided.
Solutions to the above problems include providing a shell or hood, made from a dielectric material, in which the connector is positioned such that the mating face thereof projects from the hood or is accessible through an opening in the hood. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,781,766 and 4,629,276 disclose such hoods.
As is well known, RFI and EMI shielding is provided for by filling the dielectric material with metal particles.
It is also well known to provide housings with a strain relief member clamping the wires to resist rearwardly directed tensional forces. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,549,780 discloses a housing having a pair of spaced openings, located at an angle to each other, and an assembly which includes a plug member and a cable clamp. The plug member, with an actuating screw positioed at an angle, is received in and blocks one opening, and the cable clamp, driven by the screw, is received in the other opening for clamping the wires or cable passing therethrough. The plug member and cable clamp are slidingly attached to each other by means of elongated arms on one being received in grooves on the other. Other patents; e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,629,276 and 3,781,766, also disclose strain relief members which are separate components from the housing or hood and which require a separate assembly step.
It is now proposed to provide a hood having an inwardly directed strain relief member which is an integral part thereof and which clamps the wire bundle or cable without other components or without requiring a separate assembly step.